Journal article

Elastic properties of 3D printed fibre-reinforced structures

H Al Abadi, HT Thai, V Paton-Cole, VI Patel

Composite Structures | Elsevier | Published : 2018

Abstract

This paper aims to evaluate the elastic properties of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) structures printed by three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. Both experimental and theoretical approaches are adopted to investigate the performance of FRP 3D-printed structures and predict their elastic properties. Three types of FRP materials were considered in this study including Carbon, Kevlar and Glass printed in selected arrangements of fibre filaments and Nylon matrix. An analytical model was developed based on the Volume Average Stiffness (VAS) method to predict elastic properties of 3D printed coupons, while the numerical model was developed using Abaqus to predict the failure modes and damage..

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Grants

Funding Acknowledgements

This work in this paper was supported by the School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences at La Trobe University - Australia. This financial support is gratefully acknowledged. The authors would also like to thank Steven Wang and Aaron Smith for their assistance with preparation and mechanical testing of the investigated specimens.